Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister has said he has “no doubt” about the quality of teammate Florian Wirtz following his impressive display in Sunday’s 2-0 victory over West Ham United.
Liverpool returned to winning ways at the London Stadium, with Wirtz delivering arguably his best performance since joining the club in an initial £100 million ($132m) move from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer.
The 22-year-old has been heavily criticised for his slow start in the Premier League and is still yet to register a goal or an assist in the competition, but Mac Allister believes it is only a matter of time before he starts to deliver.
“I think there’s no doubt about his quality,” the Argentina international said. “What he can do in small spaces, it’s amazing. And he did it today. As I said, I think it was a really good performance from him and hopefully he can keep going like this.”
Mac Allister also heaped praise on striker Alexander Isak, who scored his first Premier League goal for Liverpool against West Ham.
The 26-year-old has struggled for form and fitness since joining the club in a £125m move from Newcastle United on deadline day, but Mac Allister is confident he is beginning to find his feet at Anfield.
“Really happy for him,” Mac Allister said. “I think he’s an amazing player, we all know that. I was joking with him because he doesn’t even smile when he scores. I’m really happy because he deserves it, the same for Florian. I think he did a really good game. He played really good.
“So it’s important that they’re getting to their level.
“[Isak] is very quiet. He likes to be on his own sometimes. You can see that I just try to speak to him because his Spanish is quite good as well. But yeah, he’s a quiet guy and we are all happy to have him here.”
Liverpool’s victory on Sunday moves them up to eighth in the Premier League table, ending a run of three straight defeats in all competitions.
– Arne Slot ‘relieved’ as Liverpool secure much-needed win
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– Isak nets first PL goal for Liverpool in crucial win at West Ham
Asked whether the result can provide a boost ahead of a busy run of fixtures, Mac Allister said: “Hopefully. That’s the idea. But to be completely honest, I think [against West Ham] we didn’t see the team that we really want to be.
“I think we can do much more, especially defensively. But yeah, we need to keep working and now the focus is on Wednesday and hopefully we can get a win at home.”
Quizzed on whether Liverpool are still in the title race, the midfielder added: “No, that’s difficult. I think Arsenal is very strong this season and they deserve it because they’re a really good team and Man City is around there.
But for us it’s not about the title race. For us, it’s about just getting points and playing the football that we can play.”
